The Rise of Athena (An Arrow: Season 1 Fanfiction)

Chapter 19: No Decorations?!?

Evelyn Queen's POV

Oliver and I walked into the mansion. I was holding his hand, and when we slipped in, he shut the door behind him. I sighed and stretched my arms above my head. 

 'It's been such a long night,' I said softly. 'Shower. Bed.'

'You wanna catch up on Avatar?' Oliver asked. 

'Yeah, sure. Why not?' Just then a door opened and closed. 

'Hey,' Oliver said, walking up to Thea, who was wearing dark lipstick and a fancy outfit. 'You look very pretty. What's the occasion?' 

'Mom and Walter are having a dinner party with some big muckety-mucks.' I heard Oliver let out a 'phew' sound. He turned to me. 'Best night of my life,' she remarked sarcastically. I let out a giggle and walked up to my siblings. 

'Well, someone better be the modest poster child for the Queen tribe, so why not you?' I asked. Just then Oliver's face grew thoughtful as he looked around the house. I knew Christmas was setting in, the weight of him having missed it for five years. I missed it for five years too, and all the horrible memories for half of that time started to sink in. I took a breath, letting my breathing shake a little as a tear pricked the back of my eye. 

'Thea, why aren't there any decorations up in the house?' 

'What do you mean?' Thea replied.

'No wreaths, no trees.' 

'Everyone has just been really busy lately. I'm sure they haven't gotten around to it yet,' Thea assured him. 

'Does Mom at least have some of those boxes of candy canes?' I offered, leaning my head on Oliver's shoulder. He felt it, and saw me yawn. 

'You look tired, Evelyn. Go to bed.' 

'I'll be okay, Ollie.' I squeezed his bicep gently. He turned back to Thea, a nostalgic smile coming over his features. 

'Remember the three of us used to race to see who'd finish first?' 

'Yeah, I always won,' Thea bragged. 

'No,' Oliver and I said in unison. 'You cheated.' I laughed at this, Thea smiling. 

'Well, she went sugar free last year,' Thea said, her smile still not disappearing, 'so I doubt you'll be seeing any of those around.' She walked off, a smile coming over her features still. 

At the dinner party in the Queen Mansion... 

Third Person POV

'The thing that people forget is that Robin Hood was a criminal,' the Police Commissioner of the SCPD reminded Walter Steele. 

'And stealing from the rich to give to the poor is really the job of the Democrats,' a rich friend of the Queen family sitting with his wife chimed in. The tableful of people, including Moira Queen and Malcolm Merlyn, laughed. 

'All joking aside, Commissioner, crime is down for the first time in five years,' Malcolm spoke up. 

'That's because of the changes my department has implemented,' the Commissioner retorted. Oliver and Evelyn were sitting at the table, and the conversation turned their attention to the man who was speaking. 

'Or perhaps it's because the vigilantes' activities have had a chilling effect on the city's criminals,' Walter spoke up. 

'What are your thoughts, Oliver?' Malcolm spoke up. 'Evelyn?' She met the man's dark brown eyes. So like Tommy's, she thought. 'Surely, Evelyn, the female vigilante side is a win for your gender debates.' 

'With all due respect, Mr. Merlyn, my days of academic debate are far behind me,' Evelyn commented. 'Although it doesn't go without saying that the female vigilante does just as good as the male vigilante, if not better. I think she deserves more credit than she gets.' 

'I think the vigilantes need better code names than 'The Hood' or 'The Hood Guy' and 'Bad-ass Maid Marian' or 'Red Riding Hood.' The small entourage laughed at Oliver's remark. 

'I agree,' Malcolm Merlyn said. He met their eyes again. 'How about Green Arrow and... Minerva? Or Artemis?' 

'Lame,' Oliver and Evelyn both said at the same time. Malcolm Merlyn took a sip of his white wine, his eyes never leaving the siblings. Just then, Walter's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out. 

'Forgive me,' he spoke up. 'It's the office. Excuse me.' He got up from the table and left, Malcolm Merlyn's eyes raising to watch him as he left. 

In the foyer of the mansion... 

'I'm in the middle of a dinner party, Ms. Smoak, so I hope this is of some importance.' 

'I guess that depends on how you define important. See, most people would consider finding a list of names in subsonic ultraviolet invisible ink is important.' 

'But then I already know about that, don't I?' Walter replied. 

'Did you know seven of the names on the list are guys the vigilantes have had in their crosshairs? That is, if daggers and bows had crosshairs. Which, they don't.'

'Well, it is a rather long list, Felicity, so I would expect there to be some overlap.' 

'Like Doug Miller.'

'Head of Applied Sciences at Queen Consolidated,' Walter replied. 'What of him?'

'Mr. Miller may end up getting an arrow in his stocking... because he's on the list. So, important or not?' 

In the dining room... 

Oliver Queen's POV

A police officer walked up to the Commissioner and whispered a few things in his ear. He put down his napkin and looked at all of us. He stood. 

'I'm sorry,' he apologised. 'Something's come up.' 

'Is everything okay?' I asked. 

'The vigilante has struck again. He just put an arrow in Adam Hunt.' Just then my phone buzzed and I looked at my mother. 

'Oops. I really do need to take this call. It's my contractor.'

'Of course,' Moira said. 

'Excuse me.' I walked out, leaving Evelyn with Moira, Malcolm and the other guests.